Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1, Civic Offices, Merrial Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 2AG

Contact: Jayne Briscoe 2250  01782 742250

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Frankish and  Pickup.

2.

Declarations of Interest

To receive Declarations of Interest from Members on items included in the agenda

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

3.

Minutes of Previous Meetings pdf icon PDF 74 KB

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting held on 25 January 2017

Minutes:

Resolved:                 That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2017 be agreed as a correct record.

4.

Presentation by the ICT Operations and Development Manager - IT Security

Minutes:

The Executive Director of Resources and Support Services introduced this item and, continuing, the ICT Operations and Development Manager gave a presentation to members on the topic of ICT Security. The presentation highlighted the threat profile, particularly in the light of the cyber-attack known as “NHS Friday”, the safeguards that were already in place at the Borough Council together with the measures that had been taken to ensure that the Borough IT Systems remained protected and its data secure.

 

Members were reassured that the IT systems were constantly updated and if parts of the operating system were not essential to operation these were stripped away which helped to minimise vulnerabilities.

 

A member asked about the timing of the email from the Borough warning of the recent problem affecting the NHS and contrasted this with the earlier time of the message received from the County Council.  The ICT Operations and Development Manager explained the reasons for this and he confirmed that the process had been changed to ensure the information was received more quickly.  

 

Members thanked the officer for the comprehensive and accessible presentation.

 

Agreed:         That the presentation be noted.

5.

Presentation by the Partnerships Manager - Partnership arrangements with the Borough Council

Minutes:

The Partnerships Manager gave a presentation to members on the background to partnership working and the development of partnership arrangements within the Borough.

 

The essence of the statutory framework to partnership working was to help ensure that the Borough was a better place to live.  Within the Borough this had evolved into the entity known as the Newcastle Partnership which was Chaired by the Leader of the Council and included over 40 different organisations from both the public, voluntary and private sectors who worked together to tackle vulnerability and enhance growth.

 

The Partnerships Manager outlined the key ingredients to a successful partnership and explained the structure of the Partnership which included a Strategic Board and delivery group, an active operational group, a task and finish group to carry out a specific piece of work and a Local Action Partnership (LAP).  Collectively The Partnership agreed Priority Area which included tackling anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, CSE and substance abuse.

 

Continuing, the Partnership Manager referred to collaborative working with the County Council and the added benefits which the move to the Hub could offer in terms of closer working arrangements.

 

A member pointed out that the Borough Council was one of many partners and asked for a view on the commitment of the other parties.  In response the   Partnerships Manager stated that the Police and the County Council were very supportive.  Health bodies were perhaps a little more reticent to realise the opportunities and potential benefits.

 

The Partnership Manager explained how the Borough lottery would operate and members were interested in how good causes were aligned to it.

 

A member asked a question around the value of the LAP and in response the Partnership Manager indicated that in this respect additional funding would be welcomed. Continuing, a member considered that, with the passage of time and greater understanding, Parish councils had seen how support for the LAP could deliver benefits to the community.

 

Agreed:         That the presentation be noted.                  

 

 

6.

Work Plan pdf icon PDF 224 KB

To discuss and update the work plans to reflect current scrutiny topics

 

Minutes:

The Executive Director of Resources and Support Services introduced this item and explained how consideration of certain the items were linked to the budgetary process contained within the Councils constitution.

 

Members asked that the following items be included in the work programme of this Scrutiny Committee:-

 

The report into the election process by the Association of Election Agents which had been initiated by the Chief Executive. (September meeting if possible).

 

Issues around access to the Contact Centre including the length of time taken for calls to be answered and dealt with as part of the call holding system.  Members also asked to examine how complaints were resolved via contact with the web. (November meeting)

 

The move to Castle House, including the impact on staff and workforce development. (March 2018)

 

Agreed:  That the work programme be amended to reflect the inclusion of the items set out above.

7.

Public Question Time

Any member of the public wishing to submit a question must serve two clear days’ notice, in writing, of any such question to the Borough Council.

 

Minutes:

There were no members of the public present at the meeting.

8.

Urgent Business

To consider any business which is urgent within the meaning of Section 100B (4) of the Local Government Act 1972.

Minutes:

There was no Urgent Business.